NBA Daily Fantasy 1/27: Top 3 Plays at Each Position

For our NBA top plays at each position, we are going to rank the top-three guys for each spot to help you use some variety for your lineups.

As always though, we have a few crucial pending situations where we aren’t sure if a few players will suit up tonight. Jimmy Butler is sick and missed shootaround this morning, Mike Conley and Tony Allen are questionable with their respective injuries and Nick Young sprained his ankle at Monday’s practice.

Therefore, keep in mind these rankings are penciled in to a certain extent, but they are a solid guideline to get you started.

(All salaries via FanDuel)

* indicates injury/absence watch

PG

1. Beno Udrih $3,900* – If Mike Conley doesn’t give it a go, we should see 30 minutes from Beno Udrih. In his four recent games where he’s logged minutes in the upper 20s, he’s averaged 26.7 FPTS. Plus, Udrih is fairly underpriced in this scenario from a FPTS per $ perspective . He’s well exceeded his salary’s expectations, but he’s kept it from jumping since he hasn’t had a monster game. The Mavericks allow the third-most FPTS to PGs.

2. John Wall $9,100 – To give you an idea how bad the Lakers are in terms of FPTS allowed to PGs, I’ll direct you to our FPTS allowed tool. As you can see, the first 29 teams allow between 37.27 FPTS and 43.49 FPTS. Then there’s a significant gap to 46.35 FPTS allowed from the Lakers. John Wall has been on a terror as of late (granted two OT games), but he has an outstanding matchup tonight and can’t be avoided. Some of this is the Jeremy Lin effect, but remember, he’s still getting the same minutes despite not starting. Furthermore, Jordan Clarkson is a turnover machine to elite PGs.

3. D.J. Augustin $6,000 – His price went up over $1,000 after his explosive game against the Raptors on Sunday. Yet, he’s still a bit underpriced given his significant bump in minutes and usage with Brandon Jennings going down (Jennings ranked 16th in usage percentage). The Cavaliers are a solid matchup in that they play up-tempo and that Kyrie Irving is an average defender at best. The only downside to this pick is that his usage percentage from daily fantasy players will be through the roof.

SG

1. Klay Thompson $8,600 – Despite the Bulls being a good defensive team, this is a nightmare matchup for them and Vegas supports that. The Warriors are -11 and projected to score 110 points tonight. That’s especially true if Jimmy Butler doesn’t play tonight as he’s the only guard suited to defend Thompson.

2. Wayne Ellington $4,200 – Shooting guard is just really weak tonight, so it’s perfectly fine to punt here for a high-low strategy. Ellington is $700 more than Clarkson, but Ellington is certainly a more safe play. He should get you at least 20 FPTS, which isn’t too shabby from a FPTS per $ perspective. A possible Nick Young absence would help his minutes too.

3. DeMar DeRozan $6,800 – Proceed with caution here. This is definitely only a GPP play. DeRozan has really been struggling since returning from injury, but he went off last game against the Pistons. It’s possible DeRozan has finally found his rhythm and could continue this against a Pacers team that struggled against SGs. Also, DeRozan’s minutes are in the low 30s, so that’s not a concern. Therefore, once DeRozan finds his groove again, he’ll certainly be underpriced since he was more of a $7,500-$8,000 player last season. But one game isn’t an ideal sample size.

SF

1. LeBron James $11,000 – A healthy LeBron has been torching opponents in his last seven games since returning from injury. The Cavs are projected for 106 points tonight at -8, which is second best on the slate of NBA games tonight. $11,000 is a lot to pay, but if you’re using guys like Udrih (hopefully no Conley) and Ellington in your lineup, green light here.

2. Khris Middleton $5,500 – The Bucks do have depth in the backcourt, but outside of Brandon Knight, Middleton has been the guy playing well in all categories. Miami will be without Luol Deng and Chalmers (good defender) will have Knight, so Middleton should pick up some extra production. Plus, Middleton is capable of 35 FPTS outings.

3. Wesley Johnson $4,400 – Insert same logic for Ellington.

PF

1. Kevin Love $8,800 – I think this is the first time I’m going to use Kevin Love all season. But there’s good reason. The Pistons are absolutely awful against PFs, their rotation is weakened and the Cavs are projected to score 106 points. This will be a 20-10 game for Love and 40-plus FPTS.

2. Greg Monroe $8,600 – Pretty easy one to figure out here too. Love and the Cavs are also against PFs, and Monroe’s usage has gone up tremendously since the departure of Josh Smith. Now that Jennings is out, expect this to continue and probably increase.

3. Zach Randolph $8,500 – While defensive studs Marc Gasol and Tyson Chandler battle it out, Randolph will be crushing against Dirk Nowitzki. Put aside that Randolph has been absolutely dominating as of late, Randolph has torched this Mavericks team all year with massive double-doubles. If Conley can’t play tonight, this will be even better from an offensive point of view.

C

1. Hassan Whiteside $6,000 – It’s not just because of his last game. I’ve been playing Whiteside for a while. He only has the third-best PER in the NBA and is starting now. Top play of the night.

2. Timofey Mozgov $5,100 – Besides a tough matchup against Steven Adams on Sunday, Mozzy has been rolling since the Cavs have done well. Again, the Pistons have a terrible frontcourt defense and Mozgov should get a double-double.

3. Marcin Gortat $5,700 – Gortat has been fairly inconsistent as of late, but his upside is fantastic for that price. That’s especially true going against the Lakers.

About the Author

Sked Nick is a Daily Fantasy Sports enthusiast and a former Bleacher Report Featured Columnist. Most of his time is dedicated to the sports world in front of several televisions, monitors and a projector. This involves researching, writing, watching games or simply keeping up to date on news.He graduated with honors from Bowling Green State University with a degree in sport management and journalism. Furthermore, Nick was a radio play-by-play and color commentator for Bowling Green football, men's basketball, women's basketball and baseball. He also has experience working with the BGSU athletic department.Follow @NickJuskewycz